Name: Sweet Potato Salmon Cakes
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 20 oz cooked salmon (chopped finely (about 3 salmon fillets)); 1 medium sweet potato (cooked (about 3/4 cup mashed sweet potato)); 2 eggs; 2 tsp dried dill ((or 2-3 tbsp fresh)); 3 tbsp finely chopped green onion ((or chives)); 1/2 tsp salt; 1/4 tsp pepper; 1-2 tbsp olive oil; 1 medium ripe avocado; Juice of half a lemon ((about 1.5 tbsp lemon juice)); 2 tbsp olive oil; 4 tbsp water; 1/2 tsp garlic powder; 1/4 tsp dried dill; 1/4 tsp salt; 1/8 tsp pepper

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These sweet potato salmon cakes served with a tasty avocado crema are a fun way to obtain nutrients like iron, healthy fats and protein! They’re perfect for baby-led weaning or toddlers since they’re easy to hold and fun to eat. A great healthy meal option for the whole family! {Gluten-free, dairy-free & paleo}

This recipe for Sweet Potato Salmon Cakes has been so popular in our house recently! It’s a great healthy recipe for toddlers and baby-led weaning and delicious enough for the rest of the family to enjoy for a quick and healthy meal!

Although tasty alone, dipping these salmon cakes in the avocado crema is highly recommended as it kicks the flavour up a notch! Plus, who doesn’t love a fun and tasty dip?

Super quick to prepare, these healthy salmon patties are great for meal prep, as you can make up a batch and eat them throughout the week!

If you’re looking for more finger food recipes, be sure to check out these Easy Zucchini Fritters and Sweet Potato Quinoa Cakes

Why Make this Recipe

A good source of omega-3s: Particularly EPA and DHA. EPA and DHA are especially beneficial as they support a healthy heart, brain and cognitive function, joint mobility, eye health, healthy skin and hair, and a healthy immune response. These essential fatty acids are so important for both little ones and adults!
Rich in other nutrients: Salmon is a great source of protein (with 7 grams of protein per mini cake), vitamin B6 and B12, vitamin D and selenium! So much nutritional goodness packed into these little cakes.
Perfect size for little hands: This is the PERFECT recipe for little ones since the cakes are so easy to hold and fun to eat. They are also a great portable option for taking on the go!
Easy to eat: The salmon is chopped up so finely that it makes a great soft food for little ones just starting out on solids, even if they don’t have any teeth. Just make sure you pick out any bones!
Freezer-friendly: Once you make up a batch, you can stores these salmon patties in the freezer for a quick grab and go meal or snack throughout the week!

Ingredient Notes

For the salmon patties:

Salmon – I like to use freshly cooked salmon fillets for this recipe for the best flavour. Look for wild Atlantic salmon if possible. You can also sub in canned salmon if that’s all that you have on hand.
Sweet Potato – Sweet potatoes are highly nutritious and a great source of fibre, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. You can use fresh or sub in frozen sweet potato cubes.
Eggs – Eggs are a good source of protein and help to bind the ingredients together.
Seasonings – Dill, green onion, salt and pepper infuse lots of extra flavour into the cakes. You can use fresh or dried dill. You can also sub in chives for the green onion if desired.

For the avocado crema:

Avocado – Use ripe avocados as it will lend the best texture and will blend up more easily, resulting in a smooth and creamy sauce.
Lemon juice – Helps to prevent browning of the avocado and also adds a nice zesty flavour to the avocado sauce.
Olive oil – Use light olive oil if you don’t want a strong olive oil taste in your crema. You can also sub in avocado oil if desired.
Garlic powder – You can also sub in fresh garlic, but it will have a more powerful garlic flavour.
Dill – Incorporates great flavour that compliments the salmon cakes. You can use fresh or dried dill.

Step by Step Instructions

Place the cooked flaked salmon into a large bowl. Add mashed sweet potato, eggs, dill, green onion, salt and pepper.

Mix until well combined.

Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan. Form the salmon mixture into approximately 18 small patties (about 2 tbsp worth of mixture each).

Place in the pan, leaving room between each one. You may need to cook the salmon cakes in two batches.

Cook for 3-4 minutes on the first side. Carefully flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes on the other side. Repeat with any remaining salmon cakes.

Meanwhile, place ingredients for avocado crema in a food processor or mini blender and blend until smooth.

Serve salmon cakes warm topped with avocado crema.

Recipe Tips

If you don’t want to form the salmon mixture into mini cakes, you can always make them into salmon burgers as well.
If you find that the mixture is too moist when trying to form it into cakes, you can place it in the fridge for a few minutes to help it firm up a bit. You can also add a bit of almond flour or bread crumbs to the mixture to help absorb some of the excess moisture.
For a super quick and easy meal, I recommend cooking the salmon and sweet potato ahead of time so that all you have to do is assemble and cook the patties when meal time rolls around.
To cook the sweet potato, you can either use the oven or microwave. For the microwave: Pierce a sweet potato with a fork and cook on microwave safe plate in microwave for 6-10 minutes or until soft enough to mash with a fork. Oven method: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place sweet potato on a baking sheet and bake for 50-60 minutes or until soft enough to pierce with fork.
Be sure to pack the mixture together well using your hands to prevent it from falling apart when flipping it in the frying pan.
If you’d like the avocado dip to be a thinner consistency, add one tablespoon of water at a time until desired consistency is achieved.

Recipe FAQs

Can I use canned salmon?

Yes, you can certainly sub in canned salmon if you don’t have any fresh salmon fillets on hand. That being said, I do find it tastes better with the fresh salmon, but canned will still work well. Drain the canned salmon well before using and be sure to mash up any bones.

Can I make these ahead of time?

Yes, these salmon cakes are great for meal prep! Once they are cooked and cooled, store them in an airtight container and they will keep well for up to 3 to 4 days.

Can I freeze these salmon patties?

These salmon patties freeze really well and will keep for up to 3 months. Freeze the cooled patties in a freezer container or bag and separate them with parchment paper so that they don’t freeze together. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.

How to reheat

You can quickly reheat these in the oven. Place the salmon cakes on a baking sheet lined with parchment and cook in the oven at 350F for about 10 minutes until heated through.

Serving Suggestions

These salmon cakes are a great recipe for the little ones in your family, but you can also serve them up as an appetizer for adults, or as a main meal accompanied by a healthy salad, rice or quinoa or a vegetable side dish.

Try them with:

More salmon recipes

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This recipe was originally posted July 2018 and was updated February 2021 to include more helpful tips and photos.

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Sweet Potato Salmon Cakes with Avocado Crema

Why Make this Recipe